Stocktaking on achievements the Norwegian forest initiative

Since 2010, the Evaluation department at Norad has carried out a real-time evaluation of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative. As the initiative soon celebrates it's ten years anniversary, the Evaluation department is taking stock of the achievements and lessons so far.

Norway has pledged up to three billion NOK a year to help save the world's tropical forests while improving the livelihoods of those who life off, in, and near the forests. Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) was launched in 2007.

- One of the most visible achievements is the international recognition of the importance of reducing deforestation and forest degradation for addressing climate change. Norway’s efforts were instrumental in placing this issue on the global agenda at the Paris climate conference last year, says Evaluation Director Per Øyvind Bastøe.

Global vs local agendas

This being said, much more is needed for achieving tangible results at country level. Engagement of civil society and political will of national leaders is essential for long-term results. The global intentions need to be translated to national and local agendas.

These are among the recommendations in a new report from the Evaluation department, which summarizes the findings from 15 evaluations of the climate and forest initiatives and the UN-REDD program.

The main recommendation is to better tailor the support to country-specific needs.

Real-time evaluation

NICFI has been evaluated since the beginning through real time evaluations. The purpose is to provide independent documentation of results during the implementation of the initiative. Lessons from the evaluations are continuously communicated to the stakeholders involved and the public.

In addition to the new report on lessons learned, the Evaluation Department is also releasing reports that assess initiatives involving empowerment of local communities including indigenous peoples. Late this year a report on the current state of coordination between the World Bank carbon funds and their interaction with other forest initiatives at the country level is expected.

The seminar will discuss how lessons from international forest initiatives so far can be used to improve ongoing and new efforts in the light of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals.

- An important question is what role evaluations can play in making these investments as effective as possible, says Per Øyvind Bastøe. One question is what we as evaluators find out, he continues, another, totally different question is how policy makers and government officials will use and build on these lessons in their future work.